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iPhone 7 leaks plus ‘revolutionary’ new iPads on The CultCast

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blue-iphone
New Apple gadgets, incoming!
Photo: PConline

This week on The CultCast: Leaks point to exciting upgrades coming to the smaller iPhone 7 — we’ll give you the scoop. Plus, get ready for iPhone 7, we have a launch date; Apple Watch 2 might be getting a sorely needed feature; new models and “revolutionary” upgrades are coming to the iPad line; and stick around for CultCast Choices, the game that pits one bad choice against another.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to build a website that looks beautiful on any device that visits at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off.

Could Tim Cook be doing a better job at Apple? [Friday Night Fights]

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fbf
Do you think Apple is in a good place under Tim Cook?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s been almost five years since Tim Cook was named Apple CEO, and during that time the company has seen some pretty incredible highs. But there have been some significant lows, too.

Friday Night Fights bug The recent fall in iPhone demand is perhaps the most significant setback, leading to Apple’s first quarterly decline in revenue in 13 years. Cupertino has also been criticized for releasing unpolished products and buggy software in recent years.

So, is Cook doing enough to keep Apple one step ahead of the competition, or does he need to do more? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss Cook’s first five year’s as Apple CEO.

Louisiana flood relief effort gets a boost from Apple

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Coast Guardsmen rescue stranded residents from high water during severe flooding around Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Coast Guardsmen rescue stranded residents from high water during severe flooding around Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Photo: IIP Photo Archive/Flickr

Apple is lending its assistance to those affected by the devastating floods in Louisiana this week by adding American Red Cross donation buttons in iTunes, the App Store and on Apple’s website.

Weary of your wearable? Sell it to us!

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broken wearables buyback
It's time to turn tour trashed wearables into cash.
Illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Ever open the drawer and go, “Oh yeah. I own a Jawbone UP”? It’s easy to forget about an old fitness tracker or smartwatch you’ve got stashed away, but the Cult of Mac buyback program makes rediscovering an unused wearable more like finding a forgotten wad of cash.

We’ll give you the best price for your wearables, from shiny Apple Watches to older, well-worn products that most other buyback programs won’t accept. It’s a no-brainer to quickly and easily turn an old, unused wearable into cold, hard cash.

Apple busts out surprise iOS 10 beta 7

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iOS 10 lockscreen
Surprise! A new beta is here.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The last beta for iOS 10 just came out four days ago but Apple is wasting no time with the fixes by dropping a surprise seventh beta today.

Both developers and public testers can download iOS 10 beta 7 to their devices this morning, bringing a fresh batch of performance improvements along with critical bug fixes.

Apple joins government task force to kill robocalls

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Apple adds 5 new vice presidents to its executive lineup
Apple is teaming up with top tech companies to end the scourge of robocalls.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

The scourge of robocalls may be coming to an end, thanks to a new task force comprised of over 30 top tech companies, including Apple.

The U.S. government has enlisted the help of Apple, AT&T, Alphabet, Verizon, Comcast and others to crack down on unsolicited, automated, prerecorded phone calls that have become the most frequent complaint the U.S. Federal Communications Commission receives from citizens.

Birdman’s label takes flight in first trailer for Cash Money doc

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Screen Shot 2016-08-17 at 11.54.04
Cash Money co-founder Birdman confirmed the deal this week.
Photo: Birdman/Instagram

Apple has released a trailer for its upcoming documentary The Cash Money Story about popular hip hop record label Cash Money Records, which will be available exclusively on Apple Music.

The story of the label which introduced hip hop fans to Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Young Money and Birdman, the documentary was teased earlier this week by Cash Money co-founder Birdman, who said he had struck a “power move” deal with Apple.

6 amazing features Apple must steal from the Galaxy Note 7

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The Galaxy Note 7 is going to take some beating. Here's where Apple should start.
Galaxy Note 7 is going to take some beating. Here's where Apple should start.
Photo: Samsung

With gorgeous curved glass, stellar specifications and cutting-edge features, Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 7 is raising the bar for smartphones.

Fans can’t wait to get their hands on the device, which makes its big U.S. debut today, and it’s easy to see why. Here are six features Apple needs to steal if it wants to compete with Samsung’s latest, greatest smartphone.

Frank Ocean debuts Endless visual album on Apple Music

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Frank Ocean Endless
45-minute 'visual album' now available on Apple Music.
Photo: Apple Music

Apple Music added to its impressive string of exclusives by releasing Endless, a 45-minute “visual album” by Frank Ocean.

The film, which is available now to subscribers of Apple’s streaming music service, is thought to be a tease for an upcoming album by the Grammy-winning singer that could be released this weekend.

Apple’s cost-cutting strategy draws ire of Chinese supply chain

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Foxconn employees accused of $43 million iPhone scam
Tim Cook meeting an iPhone manufacturer in China.
Photo: Apple

With iPhone demand slowing down, one of the ways in which Apple is hoping to increase earnings is by pushing its suppliers to work for less money — but it doesn’t seem to be going entirely to plan.

According to a new report, Apple is meeting resistance from manufacturers in its Taiwan-based supply chain as it requests that they lower quotes for iPhone 7 components by as much as 20 percent.

Apple Watch 2 will get GPS but no LTE

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Apple Watch
The next Apple Watch will still be dependent on the iPhone.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The next-generation Apple Watch won’t totally cut ties with the iPhone when it launches later this fall.

Although Apple plans to add a number of much-needed features to the Apple Watch 2, a new report claims the company hit roadblocks when trying to make a major change that would have added LTE or other cellular data connection capabilities to the device.

Leaked iPhone 7 camera hints at big improvements

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A black iPhone 7 would be killer.
iPhone 7 will have a killer camera.
Photo: Martin Hajek/Flickr

Leaked camera parts supposedly destined for this year’s 4.7-inch iPhone have revealed that Apple finally plans to add a feature found on its Plus-sized units the past two years.

While most of this years’ iPhone camera rumors have focused on the dual-lens module coming to the iPhone 7 Plus, a leaked iPhone 7 rear camera module hints at some big improvements coming to the smaller device.

T-Mobile is killing data plans to go ‘unlimited’

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t-mobile
Say goodbye to data plans. (With a couple of provisos.)
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile has declared “the era of the data plan is over,” and that it is offering all users unlimited data from this point on.

Called T-Mobile ONE, the new setup announced by CEO John Legere offers customers a way to get rid of pesky data plans — with unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE smartphone data, all for the impressively low cost of $40 per line if you’re a family of (at least) four.

iOS falls as Android’s market share skyrockets

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Your next iPhone may be powered by Intel.
iPhone sales are slowing, but it's not just about market share.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple may have fared better in its recent quarterly earnings than some were predicting, but iOS is still being obliterated by Android in overall marketshare worldwide.

How much so? According to new figures published by Gartner, Android is currently the mobile operating system found on a whopping 86.2 percent of handsets worldwide. In other words, based on this single metric, it’s not even close!

Sexy hardwood speakers easy on eyes and ears

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Grovemade's hardwood desktop speakers aims to improve the sound coming out of your Mac.
Grovemade's hardwood desktop speakers aims to improve the sound coming out of your Mac.
Photo: Grovemade

A small woodwork shop in Oregon has a fondness for Apple products and goes to great lengths to craft eye-appealing iPhone cases, iPad docks, and monitor stands.

Now, Portland-based Grovemade makes a play for the ears with horn-shaped hardwood desktop speakers that debuted this week.

Run Windows on Mac easier than ever with new Parallels Desktop 12

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Windows 10 on Mac
A performance boost in Parallels Desktop 12 means Windows 10 will run faster than ever on your Mac.
Screenshot: Parallels

Parallels Desktop, a go-to program for anybody wanting to run Windows on a Mac, just got more powerful and convenient to use. The Parallels Desktop 12 update, brings increased speed as well as a suite of handy new tools that simplify everyday tasks.

“This is the best Windows-on-Mac performance in the history of Parallels,” said John Uppendahl, Parallels’ vice president of communications, during a briefing about the new software, which will be available Thursday for subscribers and upgraders. (New users must wait until Aug. 23.)

Apple Pay is finally coming to Chick-fil-A

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Chick-fil-A registers are getting an upgrade.
Chick-fil-A registers are getting an upgrade.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr

Getting your chicken fix will no longer require a wallet at Chick-fil-A restaurants.

The company’s long-awaited Apple Pay rollout that was announced last year is finally coming to stores nationwide this week, allowing iPhone and Apple Watch owners to pay with a tap.

Week’s best Apple deals: Big discounts on Apple TV, MacBook Air and more

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Apple deals
If you don't need the absolute latest models, you can get some great deals on Apple gear this week.
Photos: Apple

Staples is offering the chance to stream high-def content at an unbeatable price, while Groupon cuts huge discounts off a wide range of Apple gear and accessories. You’ll find all these and more in this roundup of the week’s best Apple deals.

EMT slapped with lawsuit for hitting patient with iPad

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Cult of Mac's buyback program
Don't slap people with your iPad.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A Connecticut man has filed a lawsuit against an EMT after being hit on the head with an iPad while in the back of an ambulance. Robert Alix, who is seeking $15,000 in damages, also claims that he was beaten and told to “get a haircut and join the military.”

AT&T finally drops overage charges with new data plans

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Get ready to be throttled.
Get ready to be throttled.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr

AT&T customers soon won’t have to worry about going over their monthly data limit, thanks to a new set of plans the carrier is rolling out nationwide later this month.

Instead of cutting your data off once you go over, the new Mobile Share Advantage plans simply throttle your speeds down to a maximum of 128 kbps, making the carrier more competitive with the likes of T-Mobile.